The Turks brought this Siberian crop to Europe. There are records of its first cultivations in Italy, precisely in Valtellina, as early as 1616, and then spread to Trentino and Tyrol.
The precise origins of this cake are not known even if the historian Aldo Bertoluzza in his book “De Coquina” wrote that already in the 16th century there was a very similar cake and with the same procedure as the modern one.
Nowadays each family has its own variations: some with hazelnut or almond flour, some with cranberry or blackcurrant jam. I like them all even if, for years now, I have been making this version when I miss the mountains.

Buckwheat Cake

  • Preparation time: 30 minutes+oven
  • Ingredients for a 26 cm mold
  • Difficulty: Average difficult recipe

  • Ingredients
  • 6 eggs
  • 250 g of sugar
  • 250 g of soft butter
  • 200 g of buckwheat flour
  • 200 g of almond flour
  • 8 g of baking powder
  • 50 g of sliced ​​almonds
  • 250 g of cranberry jam
  • Icing sugar to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  3. In a bowl, beat the butter with half the sugar. Add the egg yolks and continue beating until frothy. Sift the flour with the baking powder and add to the batter with the almond flour.
    In a bowl whip the egg whites until stiff and add them to the batter with a spatula, stirring gently so as to not dismantle everything.
  4. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured cake mold. Bake for about forty to fifty minutes.
  5. Let the cake cool and cut it into a layer. Fill it with the jam. Spread the remaining jam on the edge of the cake and place the almond fillets on top.
  6. Dust it with powdered sugar.
  7. Serve with whipped cream.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • The eggs and the butter should be at room temperature.
  • Almond flour is very expensive. For this reason, I often use a mixer where I put the almonds with a spoonful of sugar. The flour obtained in this way is a little coarser, but for this type of preparation it is still fine.
  • If the cake darkens too much, place a sheet of aluminum foil on top.
  •  The baking time in the oven is indicative because each oven cooks differently. If you are unsure, test with a toothpick: it should come out clean.